Remote Virtual Inspection of Infrastructure in the Metaverse
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2024
ABSTRACT
To assess the condition of infrastructure such as bridges, highways, and pipelines, trained inspectors typically perform visual inspections with site visits. However, this conventional method can interrupt the regular functioning of the infrastructure as well as be time-consuming, laborious, expensive, and dangerous. To address these problems, this study proposes an immersive metaverse-based infrastructure remote virtual inspection platform. Based on a 3D digital twin model created through digital photogrammetry, this study generates an immersive metaverse to support collaborations between stakeholders for remote inspections. In addition, this study synchronizes a virtual reality (VR) headset with an unmanned aerial vehicle to remotely inspect infrastructure conditions at the target location using augmented real-time images mapped onto the digital twin model. The conducted experiments provided evidence that users equipped with VR headsets were able to see the 3D digital twin model of the infrastructure as if they were physically present on the sites. Within the metaverse space, users could easily navigate to specific areas and conduct inspection tasks by viewing both the digital twin model and real-time images through the proposed platform. The outcomes of this study hold the potential to enhance the efficiency and safety of infrastructure inspection.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.
REFERENCES
Benzon, H. H., X. Chen, L. Belcher, O. Castro, K. Branner, and J. Smit. 2022. “An Operational Image-Based Digital Twin for Large-Scale Structures.” Applied Sciences, 12 (7): 3216. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/APP12073216.
Congress, S. S. C., J. Escamilla, H. Chimauriya, and A. J. Puppala. 2022. “Challenges of 360° Inspection of Bridge Infrastructure Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).” International Conference on Transportation and Development 2022, 6: 96–108. ASCE, Reston, VA. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784484364.009.
Congress, S. S. C., and A. J. Puppala. 2021. “Digital Twinning Approach for Transportation Infrastructure Asset Management Using UAV Data.” International Conference on Transportation and Development 2021, 321–331. ASCE, Reston, VA. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784483534.028.
Davila Delgado, J. M., L. Oyedele, P. Demian, and T. Beach. 2020. “A research agenda for augmented and virtual reality in architecture, engineering and construction.” Advanced Engineering Informatics, 45: 101122. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.AEI.2020.101122.
He, F., T. Zhou, W. Xiong, S. M. Hasheminnasab, and A. Habib. 2018. “Automated aerial triangulation for UAV-based mapping.” Remote Sens (Basel), 10 (12). https://doi.org/10.3390/rs10121952.
Jang, K., J. W. Kim, K. B. Ju, and Y. K. An. 2021. “Infrastructure BIM Platform for Lifecycle Management.” Applied Sciences, 11 (21): 10310. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/APP112110310.
Jones, D., C. Snider, A. Nassehi, J. Yon, and B. Hicks. 2020. “Characterising the Digital Twin: A systematic literature review.” CIRP J Manuf Sci Technol, 29: 36–52. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CIRPJ.2020.02.002.
Kim, J., and Y. Ham. 2020. “Vision-Based Analysis of Utility Poles Using Drones and Digital Twin Modeling in the Context of Power Distribution Infrastructure Systems.” Construction Research Congress 2020, 954–963. ASCE, Reston, VA.
Lattanzi, D., and G. Miller. 2017. “Review of Robotic Infrastructure Inspection Systems.” Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 23 (3): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)is.1943-555x.0000353.
Linn, C., S. Bender, J. Prosser, K. Schmitt, and D. Werth. 2018. “Virtual remote inspection - A new concept for virtual reality enhanced real-time maintenance.” Proceedings of the 2017 23rd International Conference on Virtual Systems and Multimedia, VSMM 2017, 2018-Janua: 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1109/VSMM.2017.8346304.
Lu, W., L. Wu, J. Xu, and J. Lou. 2022. “Construction E-Inspection 2.0 in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Blockchain-Based Technical Solution.” Journal of Management in Engineering, 38 (4): 04022032. ASCE. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0001063.
Mystakidis, S. 2022. “Metaverse.” Encyclopedia, 2 (1): 486–497. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute. https://doi.org/10.3390/ENCYCLOPEDIA2010031.
Sierra, C., S. Paul, A. Rahman, and A. Kulkarni. 2022. “Development of a Cognitive Digital Twin for Pavement Infrastructure Health Monitoring.” Infrastructures, 7 (9): 113. MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/infrastructures7090113.
Zhang, C., Y. Zou, F. Wang, E. del Rey Castillo, J. Dimyadi, and L. Chen. 2022. “Towards fully automated unmanned aerial vehicle-enabled bridge inspection: Where are we at?” Constr Build Mater, 347: 128543. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CONBUILDMAT.2022.128543.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
History
Published online: Mar 18, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Bridge engineering
- Bridge management
- Bridge tests
- Bridge-vehicle interaction
- Bridges
- Bridges (by type)
- Construction engineering
- Construction management
- Engineering fundamentals
- Field tests
- Highway and road conditions
- Highway and road management
- Highway bridges
- Highway transportation
- Infrastructure
- Inspection
- Models (by type)
- Structural engineering
- Tests (by type)
- Three-dimensional models
- Transportation engineering
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.